St. Landry democrat., 1887-08-06
LONGFELLOW.
SOME PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
OF TIE FAMOUS POET.
His Appearance and Home Life in Early
acknowledgements Arrangements After
the Death of His First Wife-His Pleasant
Bearing and Charming Conversation.
lC0UAtlQAteA. ISL

LNtDS' tD"tett l99tI
My acquaintance with Henry w Long
fellow, the distinguished man of letters,
commenced in 1910 | had just entered
Harvard University as a student, and
Longfellow had few yeas before been
/ appointed professor of "belles- lettres. "
! My first interview with him charmed me.
] He was in the prime of life, about thirty
three years of age. He was handsome,
| graceful and genial, very different in
manners from some of the grim profess
ors with whom had come into contact
while passing my examinations. After
short review Of my French, he entered
into conversation with me in the most
agreeable way, and in moment l felt
at ease with him.
He was at the time a widower his
lovely wife having died some years be-
fore, SO that having no household of his
own, he lived with an aged lady-Mrs.
Craigie-who was a distant relative of
my own The house she occupied was
the famous one distinguished as the
headquarters of General Washington
when he assumed command of the Amer
mansion in colonial days. 1t was built
about 100 years before by the Vassall
family, one of the richest, proudest and
most exclusive of the old colonial arts
tocracy. Here the family held state and
entertained grandly for many years I'M
til the outbreak of the revolution. The
Nassalls were high Tories, and clinging
rigidly to the fortunes of King George
III, they were swept out of house and
home by the despised "rebels,' their
property confscated, and the grand
old mansion witnessed a new race
of people within its exclusive walls
Not far remote in the village church
yard still stands a tomb with
verse and the sun beneath carved upon
it, emblematic of the name of the family
Jas, Sol in Latin. Here tradition has it
that some proud old Madam Nassall lies
buried, and that at her head and feet two
slaves were also inferred. Whether
buried alive or not, to show the power of
the dame, we are not informed. After
several owners succeeding the Eassalls,
the property came into the hands of Mr..
Andrew Craigie, wealthy merchant.
At mis- death his widow was defrauded of
large part of the personal estate by his
relatives but being a woman of rare
spirit and intelligence, she managed to
,lra rood ,nnrti0y, 1ra11 1ifo
interest in the mansion itself In order
to add to her income she let a few rooms
to gentlemen, one of them being Mr..
Worcester, the author of the great die
tionary, and the other Mr.. Longfellow.
Mrs. Craigie had had romantic his
tory herself; sad disappointment in
love had preyed upon her mind, and rem
dered her very skeptical in religious
l we'll remember her as little old-time |
lady, arrayed in black silk and high tur-
ban, of aristocratc mien and looking as
if she might we'll be the custodian of the |
naughty Nassalls On her deathbed, a
year or two afterward, Longfellow told |
me that she sent for him. He found her
still keenly alert and her large black eyes
were, as he said, Swapping like stars on
a wintrv night" Il have sent for you,
Mr.. Longfellow," she said, ITO tell you
that you must never think of marrying
again" Nv by so, Mrs Craigie?' he
answered. "Oh, because YOU should
never know how ugly an old woman
looks when she is lying in bed" Mrs.
Cxigie passed away, but Mr.. Longfellow
did not obey the injunction. His second
wife was Miss Appleton, of Boston,